Exploring Mind Wandering: A Serial Mediation Study Using Anxiety and Personality Traits

Abstract

Mind Wandering refers to task-unrelated thoughts, task images and stimulus independent thoughts and is found to be usually associated with distraction and experience of stress. The current study focuses on examining the factor structure pertaining to mind wandering and its relationship with anxiety and personality traits using a sample of 180 individuals (M=53, F= 127). Through serial mediation analysis, a significant direct relationship between neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness and mind wandering was observed. Furthermore, a significant total indirect effect of state and trait anxiety on the relationship between neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness with mind wandering was also obtained thereby, indicating towards a partial mediation of trait anxiety and state anxiety in the relationship between the personality traits of neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness with mind wandering. This study is an attempt to understand the interplay of personality and mind wandering and the influence of anxiety upon this relationship, thereby contribute towards potential therapeutic practices.